03/23/15

Sports

FIA WEC 2015: Stronger than ever

FIA WEC 2015: Stronger than ever

The FIA World Endurance Championship WEC enters its fourth season in 2015 and is stronger than ever before. Four automobile manufacturers in the LMP1 class, refined regulations and a revised calendar improve the sport still further.

Exactly five World Championship titles exist in the world of automobile racing. The world governing body FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) awards these for touring cars, single seaters, rally cars, rallycross vehicles and sportscars. The FIA World Endurance Championship WEC was established in 2012; eight races on three continents are held and represent 66 hours of high performance endurance racing annually. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans alone, teams complete without interruption a distance equating to the sum of almost every Formula 1 race in an entire season. Technology which prevails at Le Mans combines efficiency and durability in a unique manner. Consequently, this racing category is particularly valuable for the technology transfer, which Audi practices consistently between motorsport and large-scale production.

The competition will be even tougher during the 2015 season. For the first time, four automobile manufacturers Audi, Nissan, Porsche and Toyota compete in the LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. There is also stiff competition in the three smaller classes.

An ‘Equivalence of Technology’ exists to balance the efficiency of the various technological concepts used by the manufacturers. This formula defines, among other things, the quantity of fossil energy (meaning petrol or diesel fuel) and hybrid energy that every racecar can use per lap. Up to and including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June the energy allowance from last year is valid.

Limitations in other areas are new this season to reduce costs. Every racecar in the LMP1 hybrid category can only use five engines in the eight events. Any team violating this rule is handed a 3-minute time penalty for 6-hour races or a 5-minute penalty for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The number of tires is also restricted at each event. Four sets are allowed in free practice, for qualifying and the race a total of six sets (eight for the races in Bahrain and Shanghai).

The number of team personnel is also limited. At 6-hour races, teams fielding two racecars can nominate 65 operationally deployed individuals. A compensation rule for driver weight should ensure more parity on track. Teams, whose drivers weigh less than 80 kilograms on average must compensate for this value by adding ballast weight to the respective racecar. This year, a limitation of test days, subject to the type of test, also comes into force.

Another innovation affects qualifying. Two drivers per car team are nominated to participate in qualifying. The fastest lap recorded by each driver in this session is taken and an average lap time determined from these two laps, which in turn defines the car’s grid position for the race. Previously, the second fastest time as well as the quickest lap time per driver were used to determine this average time.

The FIA World Endurance Championship WEC competes again in Asia, Europe and North America in 2015. The season starts on April 12, like last year at Silverstone (Great Britain), Spa (Belgium) plays host on May 2. The 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) marks the season highlight on June 13 and 14. Nürburgring is on the FIA WEC calendar for the first time on August 30. A great German endurance race tradition developed between 1953 and 1991. The overseas season begins on September 19. The only North American round on the calendar takes place in Austin (Texas), before the journey takes the teams to Fuji (Japan) on October 11. In Shanghai (China), Audi races in its biggest automobile market on November 1, before the finale is held three weeks later in Bahrain.

The specified fuel consumption and emission data have been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law. Since 1st September 2017, certain new vehicles are already being type-approved according to the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Starting on September 1st 2018, the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) will be replaced by the WLTP in stages. Owing to the more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured according to the WLTP will, in many cases, be higher than those measured according to the NEDC. For further information on the differences between the WLTP and NEDC, please visit
www.audi.de/wltp.

We are currently still required by law to state the NEDC figures. In the case of new vehicles which have been type-approved according to the WLTP, the NEDC figures are derived from the WLTP data. It is possible to specify the WLTP figures voluntarily in addition until such time as this is required by law. In cases where the NEDC figures are specified as value ranges, these do not refer to a particular individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the sales offering. They are intended exclusively as a means of comparison between different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (e.g. add-on parts, different tyre formats, etc.) may change the relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics, and, in conjunction with weather and traffic conditions and individual driving style, may affect fuel consumption, electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions and the performance figures for the vehicle.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at
www.dat.de.